922 



Gardening for Amateurs 



good-sized trunk and spreading head. It is 

 suitable for a lawn specimen. 



Fagus sylvatica (Gommon Beech) is 



one of the most handsome of trees when at 

 its best, forming a stately columnar trunk 



Weeping Elm (Ulmus montana pendula). 



surmounted by a shapely head of branches. 

 When growing in the open its branches are 

 often semi-pendulous, and sweep the ground 

 for a wide area about the trunk. It thrives 

 well almost anywhere, and is peculiarly 

 adapted for planting on chalky soil. A 

 number of well-marked varieties have been 

 given distinct names. Some of the best are 

 atropurpurea, Norwegiensis, purpurea and 

 cuprea, with purple and coppery foliage ; 

 heterophylla, with finely-cut leaves ; and 

 Miltonensis, pendula and pendula Boineyen- 

 sis, with weeping branches. All the varieties 

 mentioned are excellent for gardens, those 

 with purple- and copper-coloured leaves 

 being very effective amongst other trees. 



Fraxinus excelsior (Gommon Ash) is 

 better fitted for park, hedge-row or coppice 

 than for the garden, for it is a gross feeder, 

 and its roots rob everything else in the 

 vicinity of food material. Its weeping 

 varieties, pendula and pendula Wentworthii, 

 are popular for shade trees on lawns. 



on account of its distinct leafage. Fraxinus 

 oregona, americana, and parvifolia are other 

 large-growing trees which belong to this 

 group. 



Fraxinus Ornus (Manna Ash) intro- 

 duces quite a distinct 

 set of Ash trees. In 

 this instance the 

 flowers are the most 

 conspicuous feature. 

 It is referred to 

 amongst floAvering 

 trees on page 920. 



Juglans regia 

 (Common Walnut) 

 forms a fine tree in 

 many parts of the 

 country, and succeeds 

 as far north as Aber- 

 deen. Its pinnate 

 leaves afford an easy 

 distinguishing mark, 

 whilst its thick- 

 shelled fruits differ 

 from those of other 

 trees. The largest 

 specimens are found 

 growing on deep 



loamy soil and the best crops of fruits are 

 obtained in the southern counties. Its varie- 

 ties generally are no improvement on the 

 type, although the finely-cut leaves of lacini- 

 ata are pretty and the single-lobed leaves of 

 monophylla are curious. Juglans nigra, the 

 Black Walnut of America, grows well in 

 many parts of the British Isles, and is worth 

 the attention of planters, both for ornament 

 and profit. The pinnate leaves usually ex- 

 ceed 1 foot in length, and the dark-coloured 

 wood is quite as ornamental and as valuable 

 as that of Juglans regia. Another decorative 

 kind is found in cordiformis, a native of 

 Japan ; this has very large leaves, some- 

 times 2 feet long, and the fruits are pro- 

 duced several together in pendulous racemes. 

 Juglans cinerea, the Butternut of North 

 America, is another desirable sort. 



Morus nigra (Gommon Mulberry) is 

 often used as a lawn tree, although it has 

 one serious defect for the purpose, namely, 

 the staining properties of the ripe fruits, 



Many 



of the other varieties are not worth grow- which fall to the ground and are liable to 

 ing, but heterophylla should be obtained stain ladies' dresses. 



